The Dodrio Rider
by PikachuSuicune
Summary: A Pokemon Ranger story. Fall City resident Stacey has long admired the skill and charm of her city's Ranger leader, Joel. But how can she summon the courage to let him know how she feels?
1. Chapter 1: Joel

Author's note: The name in parentheses after each chapter's title is the character who is narrating the chapter.

**Chapter 1 (Joel)**

The world was a blur. Houses, trees, shops, people…all were swept past me in a rush of intense speed. I lived for these moments. "Faster, Dodrio! We have to make our rounds by noon!" "Drio, do!" My Pokémon cried spiritedly, and we zoomed down the avenue. "Hi, Joel!" "How's it going?" The couple who owned the grocery store called out to me, waving. I returned the wave, but it's hard to say whether they could even see it; Dodrio and I were blazing over the brick road at breakneck speed. The wind whipped my blonde hair back from my face and stung my eyes, but I dared not close them for even a second. I kept my ears open too as Dodrio turned a corner, and we headed towards the eastern edge of the city. I had a job to do. I was on patrol. Every day, unless there's a serious problem we need to attend to instead, all the members of the Fall City Ranger Unit patrol the metropolis's streets, making sure everything is in order. If any of us discovers something seriously amiss, we notify the others immediately and all report to the scene of the incident to resolve whatever is wrong. But that rarely happens anymore. Thanks to many months of dedicated collaboration, and a phenomenal effort from two young Ringtown rangers, the Go-Rock Squad – a team of ruthless hooligans who had long since plagued Fiore with their misdeeds – had disbanded. It had been at least two months since a call to arms was last issued. Everything was back to its peaceful way in Fall City. I could once again enjoy the rush of wind on my face as Dodrio carried me faithfully on its sturdy back, its powerful legs pounding the brick and pavement.

"Oh, my darling Skitty! Oh, dear, please come down from there!" "Whoa!" I called, pressing my heels into Dodrio's side. The large bird stopped in its tracks, a short distance away from a tall tree at the city's eastern limit. A woman was standing at the base of this tree, looking utterly frantic. "Is there a problem here?" I asked her, striding forward. She turned a tear-streaked face toward me, which I recognised at once. "Oh! Ranger leader Joel…" "Just Joel, please, Teresa. Is your Skitty stuck in the tree again?" "Yes. It's just terrible! Skitty and I were out for a walk, and this fierce snubbull leapt out of a bush in front of us. It startled dear Skitty out of her wits, and she raced up this tree and has been unable to get down. Joel, if it's not too much trouble…" "Not at all." I said, reaching into the pocket of my indigo coat for my capture styler. I pressed the yellow button in the centre, and a thin blue rod extended from the device. A bright laser beam shot from the rod's tip, creating a glowing point of light which I aimed at a branch of the tree, right beside the Skitty. "Skitty!" It cried, upon seeing the light, and darted up the branch. Not wasting a second, I traced a shining loop around the frightened Pokémon. As the loop closed, Skitty was encased in a circle of brightness. It stopped moving. Its muscles relaxed. The light faded away, and Skitty let out a soft cry of contentment. "Skitty, don't be afraid! Jump into my arms!" Teresa called to her Pokémon. "Skitty!" The tiny pink cat obediently leapt from the branch, and Teresa caught it. "Thank you so much, Joel! You're a life-saver!" "Please, don't make so much of it, Teresa. It was nothing. I'm always glad to help." I returned to Dodrio's back, and we were off again. "That Teresa…" I said, shaking my head and chuckling, "Will she ever learn to keep her Skitty under control?" "Drio." Dodrio said. The sun, which had been hidden behind a cloud, suddenly appeared, bathing us in brilliant golden light. I felt an uncontrollable happiness rise like a balloon inside me. "Sunshine on my face; the world is peaceful again. Patrolling the streets, not a care in the world…This is the life, my friend!" "Dodrio! Rio!" My Pokémon called out harshly. "Oh, was I singing again?" I asked, feeling embarrassed. Dodrio's middle head nodded. "Sorry; I honestly don't even realise I'm doing it! Old habits really do die hard."


	2. Chapter 2: Stacey

**Chapter 2 (Stacey)**

The sweet melody filled me up. I felt a warmth flood me that had nothing to do with the sudden emergence of the sun. He had to be coming closer; that valiant, beautiful bard of a ranger. I had come out here at the break of dawn to wait for him, just to get a glimpse of his indigo-suited form speeding by on his Dodrio. He would never notice me. He's always busy; always on patrol, on a mission, too devoted to protecting the people to spare a glance for the one person who cares for him most. The song ended abruptly. I sighed in disappointment. "He must be trying to control his habit of breaking into song while on patrol," I thought. "What a shame. It makes him all that much more romantic." But my heart lightened as I heard a new sound: the pounding of large Pokémon feet. He was coming. My breathing became rapid and my head swam. Then, in a great flash of blurred movement, it happened. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and all I could see was him. His golden hair and the tail of his rich indigo coat blowing in the wind; the morning sunlight glinting off his oval shaped glasses and sparkling in his sapphire eyes. My knees turned to water. I opened my mouth, not knowing what I wanted to say, but just as I did so, time returned to its normal speed, and he and his dodrio were gone. I collapsed onto a nearby bench, feeling exhilarated at the sight of him, yet utterly defeated. As I had known would happen, he didn't spare me a single glance.

"Oh, Joel…" I sighed to myself, "What will it take for you to notice me?" "Pichu?" A small voice to my left squeaked. Startled, I looked around. In my captivation, I had not even noticed the pichu sitting beside me. "Hello there," I said to it. "What are you doing here? Don't you usually stay near the western forest?" "Chu, pichu." The yellow Pokémon nuzzled at my leg. I remembered I had a blueberry biscuit from breakfast in that pocket, and offered it to Pichu. "Pi, pichu!" It cried happily. "You're welcome." I smiled at the Pokémon as it ate enthusiastically. "You don't know how lucky you are. You're too young to be in love." "Chu?" "No matter what I do, he'll never know I even exist." I said, not really talking to Pichu, not really talking to anyone. "A ranger leader like him doesn't have time to talk to a boring girl like me. The only thing he's looking for is a sign of trouble….Wait a minute!" I leapt to my feet, amazed that it had never occurred to me before. "He's looking for trouble! That's it!" My invigorating realisation put wings on my feet. I sprinted back to my flat. I had waited long enough. It was time for action.

"You want me to what!?" "Cindy, please!" I begged, "If I can just witness him dealing with a crisis, I'll surely muster the guts to talk to him! And no one has to know it was you. You can just hide in the Krokka Tunnel or something until it's all over." I heard Cindy sigh over the phone. "Stacey, I could lose my ranger licence for doing that! You know we're not supposed to take Pokémon out of their native habitats!" I hadn't known that. Apparently, there's a lot to learn when you become a ranger. Cindy, my best friend since primary school, had just been accepted into the Ringtown Ranger Unit. She used to live in the flat next door to mine, but moved out about a month ago, claiming she needed more adventure in her life. But it seemed that being a ranger was more than she could handle, even in a sleepy little settlement like Ringtown. "Cindy, you've been complaining for days that this job is taking too much out of you," I pointed out. "Yeah, it is. There's this old bloke whose taillow keeps escaping from him and hiding in the Lyra Forest, and I always have to go after it! It seems like the work never ends; if I'm not on a mission, I have to patrol the place! But that's not justification for losing my licence." "You won't lose your licence," I assured her, trying to sound more certain than I was. "Look, if anyone blames you, I'll confess that it was my idea. But trust me; they'll be too busy trying to round them all up to come after you. Please, Cindy. I need you to do this for me." There was a pause. I could tell she was thinking it over. "Oh…all right. Since we're friends, I'll do it." "Thanks a million! I knew I could count on you!" I hung up, excitement and apprehension flooding through my body. In a matter of hours, I'd get to see Joel in action.


	3. Chapter 3: Joel

**Chapter 3 (Joel)**

The edges of the Ranger Base eased into focus as Dodrio slowed to a halt in front of the hexagon-shaped building. I hopped off my Pokémon's back and patted it gratefully. "Thanks for another great ride today, pal. Stay out of trouble while I check in with the others." "Drio!" I glanced happily back at Dodrio once more before stepping up to the sliding glass doors, which opened automatically to let me into the Base. As I had had the largest area to patrol, the other three rangers who had been on patrol were already waiting for me in the lobby. "Everything looked good on my watch; just the usual trouble with Teresa and her runaway skitty. Let me hear your reports." I said, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose. A boy with spiky, dark blonde hair stepped forward first. "There was some trouble down at the capture arena; some combusken got loose in the lobby. But I resolved it pretty quickly. Everything else was normal." "Thank you, Keith. That's good to hear." I told him, nodding in approval. Another boy with short-cut, light brown hair cleared his throat. "I found some graffiti on the Joy Clock Tower, but some ludicolo helped me clean it up with their Water Gun moves." "Good thinking, Lind. How about you, Aria?" A tall girl with curly, light blonde hair sighed. "Just the same boring stuff. Nothing exciting ever happens when I'm on patrol! I've been bored silly since we took down the Go-Rock Squad!" "Now, now," I told her, having to fight back a smile. Aria's burning desire for action could never be dimmed. "You should be grateful that things are so peaceful around here. How do you expect the residents of Fall City to enjoy living here if there's rampant chaos about?" She didn't answer, but continued to sulk. Ignoring this, I clapped my hands together and addressed the group again. "Excellent work, all of you. I'll have the afternoon shift rangers take over after lunch. I don't know about the rest of you, but I could eat a Snorlax!" Talking and laughing, Keith, Lind, Aria, and I made our way to the cafeteria in the back of the base.


	4. Chapter 4: Stacey

**Chapter 4 (Stacey)**

"Cindy! There you are!" I had been waiting at East Road – the path between Fall City and Krokka Tunnel – for half an hour, but in my anticipation it felt like much longer. A girl with long hair tied back in a ponytail, who wore the red and black uniform of the Ringtown Ranger Unit, had just emerged from the mouth of the cave. Six tan, furry, monkey-like Pokémon scurried along behind her, flexing their fingers and snorting restlessly. Cindy looked tense. "Stacey, this mental plan of yours had better work! You don't know what I went through to capture these mankey. They're all itching for a fight, and several of them are hungry, too." "That's a good thing. The more trouble they stir up, the better." "If anyone catches me doing this, I'm dead!" "No one's going to find out." I reassured her for the thousandth time. "Tell you what, I'll take you in the back way; no one ever enters the city via that path. You release them just inside the city limits, and they'll do the rest. You can be back in Ringtown before anyone realises what's happening." She sighed apprehensively. "I hope you're right."

Thirty minutes later, after trekking through the forest and fending off numerous taillow, we made our way to the back entrance into the city. It hadn't been an easy journey; Cindy's mankey were getting more agitated by the minute. She had had to recapture them several times along the way. She turned to me. "I can't believe I actually agreed to do this…I'll lose my licence for sure…" "This is no time for second thoughts! Just do it!" She nodded, and raced up the path with the mankey in tow. I held my breath. Several minutes later, I heard snarling cries of confusion. Cindy sprinted back into the shelter of the trees, panting. "It's done. They're released." "Great." I said, grinning. "Thanks a lot. We'd better get out of here now!" We crashed back through the trees, reaching East Road in a third of the time now that Cindy was rid of her mankey burdens. "I guess I'd better head back to…" She began, but shrieked suddenly. "Oh no! Look!" I spun on the spot, staring at the mouth of Krokka Tunnel, out of which were pouring more mankey, all looking furious. "What…Where…Where did they come from!?" I asked in shock. "I don't know." Cindy said, sounding terrified. "But we need to get out of here! Where can we go?" "Go back into the forest and hide! It looks like they're all going into the city, so you should be safe!" "But what about you?" She demanded frantically. I was already running towards the main entrance to Fall City. "I have to go! I can't miss this chance!" Dodging the mankey pouring into the street, I raced down a vacant alley, heading for the centre of the action: the Ranger Base.


	5. Chapter 5: Joel

**Chapter 5 (Joel)**

"Sure, Spenser, I'll join you for lunch tomorrow," I said, speaking into my styler to the Ringtown ranger leader, who was on the other end. "But please tell me you've improved your Base's food! Everything was so bland last time I ate there." "Joel, you know I can't stand spicy food. And none of my rangers have ever complained." Spenser replied. "Well, that's your problem! I like a little flavour when I eat, and I bet your rangers would too! You shouldn't sacrifice the quality of everyone's food just because you've got wimpy taste buds." "Oi, at least I'm not blind as a zubat like you are!" He shot back. "I am not blind as a zubat!" I argued heatedly. "Just because I wear glasses…" "Without them you can't tell me apart from Elita. You have to admit, that's pretty sad." "Shut up, Spenser!" "You shut up, Joel!" "Do you and he ever stop bickering?" Aria asked, rolling her eyes as I closed the mobile phone portion of my styler. I replied, "You know I'm just joking. Spenser and I are like that; we always take the Mickey out of each other. Our friendship wouldn't be the same if we didn't." She exchanged a confused look with Lind and Keith. We had finished lunch, and were in the cafeteria whiling away the last 15 minutes before the other three were relieved of duty for the day. Once the afternoon shift of rangers starts to patrol, the members of the morning shift can go home. Although I had completed my shift, it's my duty as leader to remain at the base throughout the day to oversee things. But I don't mind. I like what I do.

"So," I informed my table, "I'm going over to Ringtown for lunch tomorrow. Aria, do you think you can oversee the shift change?" "Of course I can!" She exclaimed, somewhat haughtily. "I really think you underestimate me, Joel. I'm certain can take on much more important jobs than you've assigned me so far." "We'll see about that after I get back tomor…" Crash! Bang! "Eeeek!" "Oh no! Help!" "What's going on here? Aaaauuuugghhh!" "What was that!?" Lind demanded in horror. I leapt to my feet. "It sounded like trouble!" I shouted to the room at large, "Everyone, let's go!" All the Fall City rangers sprang from their chairs and followed me at a sprint out of the base.

The city was in a state of mayhem. People were running in every direction, screaming, and I soon saw why. "Mukkeeh! Mukkeeh!" Mankey were charging through the streets, their tiny balled fists waving at the frantic people. Some of the Pokémon had climbed buildings; others were demolishing benches and potted plants. I was dazed. Mankey never appeared in Fall City. But this was no time to lose my head. "Everyone spread out!" I bellowed over the din. "Capture as many mankey as you can! Bring them back here when you've reached your Pokémon carrying limit! Go!" The rangers took off in every direction. Capture lasers blazed. Mankey screeched. As quickly as I could, I dialled the number of the Pokémon relocator firm on my styler. "Hello? Yes, it's complete chaos! Please get over here as soon as possible! What's that? Take them to the dense part of Lyra Forest; that's the only place they could have come from. Hurry!" As I closed the mobile, I saw a group of three mankey charging towards me, eyes bulging and snorting like mad. "Keeh! Muk-mukkeeh!" I whipped out the capture rod on my styler and drew three circles of light around each mankey. The shining orbs that encased them quieted their shrieks. But still more mankey were raging nearby; I could hardly imagine how many there had to be about in the city. My ranger unit would not be enough. We needed help.

Hands shaking in panic, I dialled Spenser's styler. "Hello?" "Spenser!" I shouted frantically. He sighed. "Joel, if this is about the food again, I don't want to hear…" "No! It's not that! We have an emergency situation! Fall City has been invaded by rampaging mankey!" "What!?" He demanded incredulously. "But…Why? How!?" "I don't know, but we can't manage this alone; there are too many of them! I need you to send your rangers here immediately." "Right away." As Spenser ended the call, I saw two men in green jumpsuits running towards me. The relocators. "Thank goodness you're here!" I cried in relief. I motioned towards the three becalmed mankey I had captured. "Take these for now; the other rangers will bring more!" "We have more members on the way too. Leave it to us, Joel!" The man who had spoken set off towards East Road with the mankey. "Mukkeeeeehhh!" More were charging at me. My styler flashed like a sword as I rapidly encircled the oncoming wave of monkey-like Pokémon. Once I had finally managed to fight off all the ones near me, I switched my styler to broadcast mode. "Attention citizens of Fall City!" I shouted, hearing my voice ring over the citywide PA system. "This is Joel of the Fall City Ranger Unit! All those who are able, seek shelter inside the nearest building or enclosed space immediately! Our rangers will take care of rounding up…" I broke off. I could not speak; I could not think. I was unable to believe what was racing towards me.

"Priiiimeaaape!" The giant monkey lunged. "Joel! Look out!" Aria sprinted forward and shoved me aside. Caught off-guard, I tumbled to the ground. Pain shot through my shoulder. My glasses clattered away across the pavement, and everything dissolved into a blur of colour, sound, and confusion. The flash of capture lasers blinded me as rangers rushed to contain the primeape. I saw a mass of red streaks, which had to be the uniforms of Ringtown rangers racing past me. "Aria!" I realised she must have received the full force of the blow intended for me. But I couldn't make out what was going on; I could see only vague shapes now. A giant ball of light appeared nearby. Someone had finally managed to capture the primeape. "Joel!" I spun around. An indigo-uniformed blur was limping towards me. I recognised Aria's voice. "Thank you, Aria. I can't tell you how grateful…" "Save the sappy stuff; we still have work to do!" "You're right! But…Are you sure you're not hurt?" "I'm fine. I'll rejoin the hunt. You know, Joel, I feel terrible saying this, but this is the most fun I've had in a long time." She sprinted away. I would have laughed, but tan blurs were racing in my direction once more. "Keeh! Keeh!" I whipped out my styler again, but the speeding targets were too much for my feeble eyes to comprehend. My capture laser faded away as it repeatedly made contact with the Pokémon. My glasses…Where were my glasses?


	6. Chapter 6: Stacey

**Chapter 6 (Stacey)**

"I hope you're happy, Stacey!" Cindy shouted at me, storming around the sitting room of my flat. Three days had passed since the mankey incident, but time had not quieted Cindy's fury. "Your stupid idea nearly destroyed Fall City!" "But I got to see him capture like I've never seen it before! Oh, I wish you'd have been there, Cindy; it was incredible! Joel was truly inspiring. I've never seen anyone wield a capture styler like…" "Do you have no concept of the magnitude of this problem!?" Cindy interrupted me furiously. "It took the entire Fall City _and_ Ringtown Ranger Units to control them all! People's lives could have been at stake!" "I…" I said feebly. "I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand. Why did they all come here? I just wanted the six you captured to cause a little mayhem." "Authorities speculate," Cindy spat, "that the removal of those six mankey from their natural environment enraged the entire clan, including the primeape, which is their leader. They viewed it as a threat to their society, so they all followed me here to avenge their kidnapped comrades. People know a ranger was involved, Stacey; they say there's no way those Pokémon could have travelled so far from their home without outside intervention."

"But they don't know it was a ranger, just that someone was involved." I pointed out, although this didn't seem to console Cindy. "A lot of people suspect remnants of the Go-Rock-Squad are stirring up trouble." "Well, regardless of who they think did it, I'm still in trouble with Spenser. He gave me a right earful for not helping with the mankey problem. But how could I? If I came in contact with one of the six I'd captured, it would have recognised me for sure. I was only able to take the time off to come visit you because Spenser was so impressed at how I used two mudkip's Water Gun moves to put out a brush fire in the Lyra Forest. I tell you, I knew I never should have agreed to your stupid plan." "I'm sorry, okay? I won't ask you to do anything else like that ever again, I promise." I really felt horrible. I had been so selfish; I had put the entire city, a colony of Pokémon, and Cindy's career in jeopardy just to see Joel in his element… "He still doesn't know I exist." Cindy raised her eyebrows at me. "Joel? Well, that's your problem. I'm not taking any more risks to help you resolve this unsatisfied romance." "I don't know what to do…" I said helplessly. "Did you ever consider just talking to him? Returning his glasses would be a good place to start." A fresh wave of guilt consumed me. Joel's glasses were lying on the bed table beneath my window, reflecting the late afternoon sun. I had saved them from being trampled by the raging mankey, but had not been able to find the courage to return them to the ranger leader. "I can't." I said. "Why not? You're not doing anyone any good by keeping them, especially Joel. You know he can hardly see without those glasses." "But…I just can't talk to him…I thought this would make a difference, but I'm still not brave enough…" "Look, do you want the bloke to like you or what?" Cindy demanded, looking exasperated. "Yeah, of course I do. I'll return them; don't worry."

All was quiet and still. It was nearly midnight, and no one was out in the streets. My footsteps clattered loudly on the pavement as I approached the Ranger Base. Through the glass doors I could see that the lobby was empty. But the one I needed to be here, luckily enough, was; Joel's dodrio was asleep in the shadow of the hexagonal building. "Pssst." I hissed in the left head's ear. "Oi, wake up." "Drio?" It asked sleepily. "I have something for you to give to Joel." I handed the glasses to the Pokémon. "Rio, dodrio?" It asked. "Just give them to him tomorrow morning, okay? Oh," I added, as a sudden afterthought, "and next time he starts to sing while on patrol, please don't tell him to stop." Leaving the bird with the glasses clutched in its beak, I jogged back up the road.


	7. Chapter 7: Joel

**Chapter 7 (Joel)**

"Keith, I just received a message from the capture arena. It seems the combusken have gotten loose again; do you think you can take care of…" "Honestly, Joel, Spenser's right; you really are blind as a zubat! Can't you tell I'm Aria?" "Oh…sorry, Aria…" I felt my face turn red. It had been four days, and although several rangers had combed the area thoroughly, they had found no trace of my glasses. After losing them in the struggle, I had been of little help to control the mankey. Worse still, I had been confined to the Ranger Base ever since; my poor eyesight rendered me unsuitable to patrol. Aria spoke again. "Why don't you just get new glasses?" "You know how hard it is to find a glasses maker around here." I reminded her irritably. I was rather temperamental. The lack of action made me feel so useless. "The only one in this region's in Wintown, and even if I bother to go all the way there, it always takes at least a week for the glasses to be made. I just don't understand it! Where could my glasses have gone?" Aria shrugged. "So, about the rowdy combusken, why don't you let me take care of them? Why does Keith have to do it? Didn't my fending off that primeape prove to you that I'm capable of…" "It proved to me," I interrupted pointedly, "that that job would be too easy for you. Go upstairs and tell Keith to head over to the capture arena, then I want you to take the Dragonite Bus to Summerland. Cameron called me this morning and requested that I send my most competent ranger to him for a special mission." Aria smiled so widely that I could see it, even without my glasses. "Joel…Thank you…I…I don't know what to…" "Oi, save the sappy stuff!" I said jokingly. "There's work to be done!" We both laughed, and she entered the lift to go upstairs.

I sighed, wishing I could go with her. I couldn't stand the boredom of not being on duty. "Even if I can't patrol, at least I can get some fresh air," I reasoned. I stepped outside, a gentle breeze caressing my face. "Do! Dodrio do!" Dodrio's heavy footsteps greeted me. "Hi, big guy. What's going on?" "Drio!" Dodrio's left head extended towards me. It had something in its beak. "What's this?" I asked. Dodrio dropped it into my hand. As I ran my hands over the familiar frames, I gasped. "My glasses! You found them! I don't believe it!" I slipped them on. The world became miraculously defined. I could see again! "Thank you, Dodrio!" I hugged Dodrio tightly. "Drio, drio, do!" The left head cried. "What's that?" I asked. "Drio, dodrio, rio." "Are you saying you didn't find them? But…I don't understand…" "Rio!" "It doesn't matter!" I exclaimed jubilantly. "I'm finally back in action! Are you ready to go on patrol?" "Dodrio!" "I thought so! Back to patrolling, it's time to run! Let's keep the city safe while we have some good fun!" I jumped on Dodrio's back and we took off. I was unable to contain my joy, and I sang loudly all the way to Fall Harbour.


	8. Chapter 8: Stacey

**Chapter 8 (Stacey)**

"Do you hear that, Pichu? Isn't his voice dreamy?" I was sitting on my usual bench, which had just yesterday been repaired by the Ranger Unit; the pichu from the western forest was keeping me company again. I sighed as I heard Joel's song drift towards me from some southward street. As happy as the lovely melody made me feel, I was still furious with myself. Why had I not given Joel the glasses myself? How could I justify being so smitten with him if I didn't have the courage to speak to him face-to-face? I buried my face in my hands. "I'm so pathetic. He'd never want to even be seen with a wimp like me." "Pichu pi…!" Pichu said, but its voice tailed away in a frightened squeak. I looked up. "Meowth." A white cat Pokémon was crouched in front of the bench, its large eyes fixed on Pichu. "Pi?" "Mrrrreeeowth!" Meowth lunged. Pichu let out a terrified squeal and loosed a bolt of electricity from its pink cheeks. I screamed and dove out of the way. "Pichu!" "Owth, meowth!" The two were scampering down the street, the latter in fast pursuit of the former. "Stop it!" I shouted, running after the Pokémon. "Stop it, you mean meowth!" I chased the pair down the street and past the florist's shop, finally stopping at Solana Fountain, where Pichu was cowering. It was trapped. "Mmmmmmeeeowth." Meowth crept steadily forward. "Pi…pi…" Pichu was trembling. I could see the fear quiver in its shiny black eyes. Meowth extended a clawed paw…"Leave that pichu alone!" I screamed. "Meowth, me?" Meowth turned around in surprise. "It didn't do anything to hurt you! Don't take your anger out on it!" "Me…owth!" Meowth snarled, and started to advance towards me. Panicking, all I could think to do was somehow talk my way out of this. "What's really the matter, Meowth? Are you hungry? Did a Snubbull attack you?" Meowth stopped in its tracks. It winced. "Owwwth…" I looked more closely at its left front paw. I could see a thorn protruding from the underside. "Easy now…" I coaxed Meowth. "I'm not going to hurt you. I think I can help." I slowly extended my hand towards the white cat, fully expecting it to sink sharp claws into me at any second. But to my surprise, it held out its injured paw. With one quick jerk, I removed the thorn. "Meeeeeoooowwwwth!" I scrambled back, frightened, but the Pokémon didn't attack me. "Owth!" Perhaps I imagined it, but I could have sworn it smiled at me before disappearing into a bush. Pichu and I breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"Nicely done. That was very kind of you, and I'm sure both those Pokémon are quite grateful." I spun around and found myself staring straight into Joel's brilliant sapphire eyes. I mouthed wordlessly. My voice had deserted me. "I…I…" He glanced quickly back at his dodrio, which was racing around the large harbour to the south, before speaking to me again. "Have you ever considered becoming a ranger? You seem to have a knack for befriending Pokémon." My brain was not functioning properly; I felt as if I was in a thick fog. "I…Well…Yes, I mean, no! I…You see…I…I…" I burst into tears. Joel stepped backward in shock, but I barely noticed. I couldn't take it; all my feelings of inadequacy, of guilt at what Cindy and I had done, of sheer happiness at the sight of him, compounded into a great explosion of tears and words. "It's all my fault! I'm the one responsible for the mankey invasion! I persuaded my friend Cindy from the Ringtown Ranger Unit to capture six mankey and release them here, but then their entire clan came to avenge them and…I never meant for it to happen! I feel so terrible! I was so desperate to see you deal with a crisis; I wasn't thinking at all! If only I wasn't so spineless! I should have had the strength to just talk to you! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for what happened, for being such a wimp; I'm sorry for everything!"

I collapsed onto the brick road, sobbing uncontrollably. The floodgates had burst, and I was awash in tears of grief. Yet there was a bitter pleasure in it all. I was no longer being crushed by the weight of my secret misdeed. Joel was the one struggling for words now. "You…But…Why…What do you mean, if you had the strength to talk to me?" I took a deep, steadying breath. "I've always admired you, Joel. You're a great ranger. You always look out for those who are in trouble. You…Well, you inspire me!" Several moments of silence passed. "I…inspire…Really?" "I took your glasses." I continued miserably. Now that I had started, the confessions would not stop. "I wanted to save them from being destroyed by the mankey, but I couldn't find the nerve to tell you. I gave them to your dodrio last night. Oh, but what about Cindy? Please don't make her lose her licence! It was my idea! I'm the one who deserves to be punished! I'll do anything you want me to do to make up for it! Please believe that I'm truly sorry!" I pressed my hands over my streaming eyes, feeling the warmth of my tears leak between my fingers. I felt strangely light-headed. It was out. How I feel for him…he finally knew. Silence again. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. Surprised, I looked up. "I believe you." Joel said kindly. "It doesn't change what you did, but realising your mistakes is the right place to start. And don't worry about Cindy. She will have to pay a price for helping you with your scheme…" "She won't lose her ranger licence, will she?" "No. I'll make sure of that. I think a good deal of community service will serve you both well. There's still a lot of damage done by those mankey that needs to be repaired. After that's done, I think you and Cindy should go to the Lyra Forest together and apologise to those mankey. Express to them, as you expressed to me, how you've realised the error of your ways." I nodded and stood up.

"Thank you, Joel. Thank you for understanding me." "Well, I have to admit, I can't be too harsh on someone who thinks I'm inspiring!" He smiled. I managed a weak giggle. "I'll report to the Ranger Base tomorrow morning and start my repair work." I told him. "Excellent. I'll talk things over with Spenser, and if all goes well, Cindy should be joining you. By the way, in all this confusion, I never caught your name." "Oh! I, I'm Stacey." Joel and I shook hands. I felt my stomach flutter, but I didn't completely lose my head as I had before. I had crossed the line at last, and how remarkably easy it had been! We had finally spoken. It felt so much better this way. "Nice to meet you, Stacey. Maybe, once this mess has been resolved and it's all water under the bridge, you could stop by at the base again? I'd be happy to teach you the basics of being a ranger. Fall City can never have too many." I grinned. "Really? That would be great! I mean, I don't know if I'd be right for it…" "We all have to start somewhere." He said wisely. "And you definitely have the heart for it. I can tell you and Pokémon get along well, and you're humble enough to admit when you're wrong. Those are important qualities every ranger should have." He whistled, and Dodrio zoomed up the flight of stairs separating Fall Harbour from Fall City, stopping at Joel's side. As he mounted his Pokémon, he said, "I have to go; I'm still on patrol." "That's right! I'm sorry for wasting your time like this." I said in embarrassment. "Not at all. Remember, if you ever want to learn the ropes, don't be afraid to come talk to me." He and dodrio raced away, illuminated by the bright mid-morning sun. I stared after them, a sense of vigour and resolve present within me that I hadn't felt before. "I won't. Not anymore."


End file.
